BRADENTON BEACH – Bradenton Beach officials are concerned about the overcrowding and parking issues that occurred at and around Coquina Beach and Cortez Beach during Memorial Day weekend.
A 6:28 a.m. on Tuesday, May 28, Lt. John Cosby from the Bradenton Beach Police Department sent Mayor John Chappie an email regarding these concerns. Cosby also sent Chappie several pictures taken by one of his officers.
“We had over 27,000 people. A normal holiday is 15,000 to 19,000 people. We wrote approximately 200 parking tickets and estimate there were 700 vehicles parked illegally in the dunes – double-parked and on the state right of way. We broke up five fights and escorted 10 people out of the park. The park did not clear out until 11 p.m. (on Sunday) and traffic was backed up over the Longboat Key bridge until 11 p.m. also,” Cosby wrote.
When contacted, Cosby said “Sunday was the worst day. It was out of control. The ones that parked illegally all over the right of the way were given $50 tickets and they said they really didn’t care. A sheriff’s deputy said that at one point traffic was backed up all the way to 51st Street West on Cortez Road.”
When asked later why this year was so much busier, Cosby said, “I have no idea.”
The city has an interlocal agreement with the county that provides county funds to pay for city police patrols of the Coquina and Cortez beach areas. The city patrols are supplemented by Manatee County Sheriff’s deputies upon request during holiday weekends and special events when heavier crowds are expected, including Memorial Day weekend.
Chappie expresses concerns
Chappie briefly addressed these public safety concerns during the City Commission’s abbreviated commission workshop on Tuesday morning. He told the commission he planned to share these concerns with county commissioners later that day at their budget planning session.
“There’s some major issues that we have to work out before July Fourth weekend,” Chappie said.
When addressing county commissioners and County Administrator Cheri Coryea, Chappie said, “In your budgeting process, you need to please put some money down for security. With the number of people that are coming to our beaches, you just cannot imagine. We’re getting together some statistics and pictures and I’m sure through your departments you’re going to find out how crazy it was.
“We had one officer who was told ‘We’re glad they shoot cops now.’ It was just a matter of trying to manage the situation, it wasn’t trying to enforce rules because you had too many people out there. You couldn’t even see the sand because the umbrellas on the beach at Coquina Beach were packed so tight. Your lifeguards, God bless them, I don’t know how they could do anything. It’s not safe, and I appreciate Cheri jumping on it and working on it,” Chappie said.
Chappie also said he hopes to meet with county officials soon to formulate plans for the upcoming holiday weekends.
BRADENTON BEACH – The six defendants in the Sunshine Law lawsuit have proposed compromise offers that seek financial reimbursement from the city of Bradenton Beach and co-plaintiff Jack Clarke.
Collectively, the six defendants seek $60,902 from the city and $24,444 from Clarke.
The offers to compromise include no admission of wrongdoing or errors made regarding compliance with the Florida Sunshine Law, which is at the center of the civil lawsuit the city and Clarke filed in 2017.
Defendant and former Planning and Zoning Board member John Metz was the first to present his offer to attorney Robert Watrous and others last week. Watrous represents the city and Clarke.
Metz is the only defendant still retaining legal counsel. His offer was prepared by attorney Thomas Shults and dated May 28.
Metz’s offer was followed by similarly worded offers from the other five defendants: former Planning and Zoning Board members Reed Mapes, Patty Shay and Bill Vincent and former Scenic WAVES Committee members Tjet Martin and Rose Vincent.
The financial reimbursements sought differ for each defendant.
“Mr. Metz will settle with the city and Clarke only if they dismiss this lawsuit against all defendants with prejudice. The city must pay Mr. Metz the amount of $42,000 and Clarke must pay Mr. Metz the amount of $14,000. The total of these sums represents approximately 40 percent of Mr. Metz’s attorney fees and costs as of the end of April. This offer shall remain open until 5 p.m. on June, 7. Unless the case is resolved by that date, any future proposals by Mr. Metz shall require the city and Clarke to play a higher percentage of his attorney’s fees incurred,” Metz’s written offer says.
Attorney Jim Dye had been representing Mapes, but Mapes discontinued those legal services in March. Mapes’s offer seeks similar settlement terms and $14,000 from the city and $8,400 from Clarke.
The other defendants discontinued Dye’s legal services in early 2018. Martin seeks $1,000 from the city and $600 from Clarke. Shay seeks $901.52 from the city and $444 from Clarke. The Vincents seek $3,000 from the city and $1,000 from Clarke.
At press time on Monday, the city and Clarke had not responded to the offers. The city commission will meet at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 6, and it’s possible the defendants’ offers may be discussed at that meeting.
Settlement language
“It appears to be lost on the city commission and Mr. Clarke that they are exposed to substantial monetary liability in this case. This liability consists of not just the attorney’s fees and cost the city will expend for the trial and the appeals thereafter, but also the attorney’s fees and costs incurred by all defendants,” Metz’s offer says.
“The Open Meetings Law permits the award of attorneys fees and costs against the city and Clarke if the court finds this suit was filed in bad faith or was frivolous. The city and Clarke can rest assured that Mr. Metz will pursue his right to such award if this matter is not resolved,” Metz’s offer says.
The defendants’ latest offers were in response to a settlement offer the city commission made on April 23. That offer proposed the defendants collectively pay the city $203,118 to settle the lawsuit with an acknowledgment that errors may have been made as it related to the Sunshine Law. The $203,118 represented the city’s attorney fees and legal costs to date.
Metz’s offer to compromise says it’s puzzling that the city commission would make a proposal they knew he would never accept.
The city’s previous March 1 settlement offer included language that said errors were made regarding Sunshine Law compliance and sought $500 from each of the defendants.
The defendants rejected that offer and proposed a counteroffer that instead said errors may have been made. They also offered to donate $10,000 to the Annie Silver Community Center. The city commission rejected that offer because it did not include an admission of errors made.
The case is scheduled for a nonjury trial beginning July 15, to be preceded by a city-requested summary judgment hearing on June 20.
ANNA MARIA – The city of Anna Maria received four bids from construction firms seeking the contract to build the new restaurant and the bait shop at the T-end of the new city pier.
During last week’s emergency commission meeting, Mayor Dan Murphy told commissioners the bids are not yet public record and will remain confidential until he comes to the commission with a recommendation. That recommendation is expected at the emergency commission meeting scheduled for 10 a.m. on Thursday, June 6.
“I would ask that you keep them confidential because they are not indeed public record – that was verified again yesterday by the city attorney,” Murphy said.
“What you see on the paper is what counts. Just take them as they are and make a decision from that. That’s the only fair way to do it,” he added.
At the conclusion of the meeting, City Clerk LeAnne Addy provided commissioners with sealed envelopes containing copies of the bids to review before the June 6 meeting.
The Anna Maria Island Privateers celebrated Snooks Adams Kid’s Day as usual on the first Saturday after the school summer break in a new location, Anna Maria City Pier Park.
These twins were having twice the fun. – Tom Vaught | Sun
The shade from the sails gave ample protection from the sun and the Privateers’ ship, the Skullywag, served as a stage for the pirate costume contest. There were hot dogs, chips and cookies, and games including the rat toss with rubber rats, a treasure hunt and water gun fights.
The kids enjoyed hot dogs, chips, soda and cookies courtesy of the Anna Maria Island Privateers during the Snooks Adams Kids Day festivities. Tom Vaught | Sun
The event began in 1954 when Anna Maria Island’s first police chief, Snooks Adams, helped students celebrate the first day of summer vacation with a cookout on Coquina Beach. Over time, the celebration evolved into an annual event that was assisted by the local Lion’s Club and local residents as the event grew in size.
In 1980, Snooks turned over hosting duties for the annual Kids Day start to summer celebration to the Anna Maria Island Privateers. The Island’s pirates continue the tradition every year on the first Saturday after school ends for the summer. Adams died on April 27, 2010, at the age of 92.
It’s not with any pleasure that I sit down and write an outdoors column on water quality issues and red tide at one of my favorite times of the year. I’d rather be spending this time talking about tarpon, snook, redfish, trout and the plethora of other fish that swim area waters. Unfortunately, there’s an elephant in the bay.
Although area waters are clear again and the red tide is currently absent, we don’t seem to have made any significant progress in addressing the problems that plagued us last year and pose a threat into the future. It’s hard to fathom that after last year’s unprecedented killing field event that featured daily images of dead fish, dolphin, turtles and manatees, policymakers failed to act to address the core problem.
Third Place
Environmental news
2020
In fact, the Florida legislative session that just ended was characterized as “a disaster for our environment,” by the public interest group Florida Conservation Voters. If it takes numbers to convince you, consider the bottom line. This year’s environmental funding is only 0.003 percent more than last year.
This isn’t a red vs. blue issue as major initiatives (blocked by leadership) were advanced from both sides of the aisle. Three of these blocked bills were championed by local politicians Rep. Will Robinson (R-Bradenton), Rep. Margaret Good (D-Sarasota) and Sen. Joe Gruters (R-Sarasota).
If you live on or anywhere near the Gulf and are a homeowner, business owner or tourist, last summer’s explosion of red tide and blue-green algae was a blunt wake-up call. At risk is everything we value including our marine environment, quality of life and businesses. Florida Conservation Voters reminds us, “Democracy isn’t a spectator sport; it requires participation to work.” It also cautions that “Legislators regularly sponsor bills that seek to limit, restrict or hinder many of the principals we hold most dear.”
A case in point: This past session a bill was passed by both chambers that would make it much more difficult for voters to exercise their constitutional right to pass a citizen’s imitative. I don’t know about you, but I want to have the ability to pass a ballot initiative if necessary to protect my property, my business and the marine environment that has sustained me for the past three decades.
If there’s a bright spot in this bleak session, it’s another record year for Everglades funding and other associated water quality projects up and down the coasts, funding made possible by the voter-approved 2014 Water and Land Conservation Amendment (Amendment One). Unfortunately, the Legislature once again severely underfunded the state’s most important suite of land conservation programs, commonly referred to as Florida Forever. The leadership decided to spend only $33 million on a program that had received $300 million for decades.
We as citizens of a barrier island surrounded by water cannot afford to let this become yet another out of sight, out of mind event. Legislators are touting the $3 million a year that was allocated to study red tide for the next five years. Those familiar with the causes and effects know that the real answer is to limit the nutrients that fuel severe and extended blooms.
Unfortunately, interests opposed to addressing the root cause because of financial impacts continue to sway legislators. Meanwhile, the blooms are more frequent and severe and will cost us far more in the future for our failure to act now in any significant way. While the bay and Gulf have a remarkable ability to recover, my three-plus decades point to a diminishing resource that’s less resilient and taking much longer to recover than in the past.
The bottom line is that we have too much at stake to hope for a good result. We all need to lobby our legislators to resist the special interests for which the bottom line is today and next year. They were elected to serve the residents who live, work and raise families here. There’s an elephant in the bay, one we can’t wish away. Let’s all work together to protect this special place we call home.
Few individuals progress from gym rat to professional athlete. Even fewer rise to the top of their discipline.
Anna Maria Island’s own Leah Purvis went from working out at Fit Crew Bradenton in regular group training sessions to one of the best CrossFit athletes in the world. This achievement did not come easy. Purvis’s hard work, dedication and sacrifices over the past several years resulted in a formal invitation to participate in the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games Online Qualifier.
CrossFit, known as a functional exercise program for everyday people, as well as a highly competitive international sport, was created by Greg Glassman in Santa Cruz, Calif., and trademarked in 2000. With thousands of affiliate gyms around the world, the sport has caught fire and has become a passion for so many athletes like Purvis.
Although not a CrossFit affiliate, Fit Crew Bradenton is the home of one of the sport’s top-ranked athletes with Purvis. The combination of a tough mental and physical athlete and an outstanding coach – Andrew Terman, co-founder of Fit Crew – as well as support from her family and friends, has elevated Purvis to the top of her game.
Consulting with her trainer Andrew Terman, Purvis works tirelessly at Fit Crew Bradenton. – Submitted
In a recent Instagram post, Terman says about Purvis, “It’s easy to think of time as a hassle or a threat – with time, things change. With time, the journey takes longer. At the gym, success isn’t built overnight, so time is our greatest gift and opportunity. From top 1,500 to top 750 to top 100 in 3 years in the masters’ division … [Leah’s] journey has taken time, dedication and grit.”
Purvis has always been a high achiever, personally and professionally. As a managing director at Greystone & Co., Inc., scheduling her daily training around her full-time job makes her accomplishments all the more impressive. Many top-ranked CrossFit athletes have the luxury of making the training their only focus. Purvis, with much personal sacrifice, fine-tuned the balancing act between work, the gym and life with her husband, Don.
“I have fallen in love with the process. There is just so much more to it than people realize, and it is work,” says L. Purvis of the sport, training and conditioning.
Her progress in the gym over the past three years comes as no surprise to her coach or her husband.
“Leah was looking for an athletic outlet for a long time,” Don Purvis says. “Once she found it, I wasn’t surprised she went all in.”
Both Terman and Don Purvis knew a serious CrossFit athlete was born at the Fit Nation Thunderdome competition a few years ago. Competing in the Rx Division (lifting the prescribed weights and performing each movement as written with no modifications), along with one of the top CrossFit Games athletes, Talayna Fortunato, and several high-ranking younger regional athletes, sparked the fire that made Purvis the athlete she is today.
Don Purvis recalls her saying in the car on the way home from the Thunderdome competition, “I’m going to start training twice a day!”
“That was when I knew it was about to get serious,” he said.
As with most high-level athletes, Purvis can be her harshest critic. As an intelligent athlete, Terman says sometimes she overthinks and over analyzes things.
Known as someone who may hate to lose more than she loves to win, this is the drive that pushes Purvis.
CrossFit athlete Leah Purvis and her number one supporter and husband Don Purvis. – Submitted
“I believe she also fears regret,” her husband says. “She doesn’t want to reach a point in her life down the road and regret not having fully committed to obtaining her goal.”
Typically in high-level sports, an athlete can only compete at the top of his/her game for a limited number of years. Now in the Master Division, currently with six age divisions, Purvis is determined to do the best she can with the time she has left.
The sport of CrossFit is extremely physically challenging and taxing. Inevitably Purvis’s goals will change, but the competitive spirit will not.
“She will have goals with any fitness she tackles post-completion,” Terman says. “She will always compete in some manner. That’s just who she is.”
“I think she will always enjoy the sport, even if she isn’t competing at an elite level,” Don Purvis says. “One of the greatest things about CrossFit is the ability to compete with yourself on a daily basis.”
Being the best at everything she does is the trademark of Purvis, whether it is in the CrossFit arena, at work or acting in the annual murder mystery play fundraiser at The Center. She does not do anything halfway.
Competing at Dayton Beach’s Bacon Beatdown in 2018, Leah Purvis took third place overall. – Submitted
As an elite athlete, Purvis’ sacrifices have come in the form of “… [missing out on] ‘having fun’ with friends and family,” her husband notes. “Understanding the time she invests at the gym, in the pool or ocean and on the road is something she cannot get back is even more reason she wants to be successful in competition.”
It is this drive that also leads Terman and Purvis to be on the cutting edge of training, nutrition and post-workout recovery – building and maintaining the total top-level athlete. Purvis utilizes weekly massages, periodic chiropractic adjustments, and cryotherapy with CryoXL as just a few of her training must-dos.
“It’s not a hobby to her. It’s another full-time job,” stresses Don Purvis. As a job, Purvis works to make sure everything she does has a purpose that will only positively contribute to her end goals.
Terman, who works with Purvis daily, estimates he spends roughly 25 hours a week training Purvis along with the time it takes to prepare for her training sessions. Purvis is technically the first competitive CrossFit athlete he trained. The success that the Purvis-Terman duo has accomplished has now led to Terman training five athletes that are actively competing in the sport.
At least a couple of times a month, individuals will approach Terman about their personal desire to able to achieve the fitness and athletic level of Purvis. Terman attributes gaining the other CrossFit athletes he now trains in some way to Purvis’s successes.
CrossFit is a family affair. The Purvises talk about training and goals every day. As a former high school coach and inspirational speaker, Don Purvis knows the importance of goal setting.
He says, “I think it is healthy to continuously evaluate your goals and how to achieve them.”
Don Purvis himself trains at Fit Crew Bradenton, which enhances his ability to relate to the training his wife puts herself through every day.
Don Purvis now trains six days a week, including time outside of Fit Crew swimming, and has increased the intensity of his workouts. As a former football player, he says he has not trained this intensely in years and “ … assumed for a long time [his] ‘athletic’ days were over.”
“Leah’s training has been incredibly positive in my life. She’s an inspiration to me for her dedication in total health. I was literally on the verge of being prescribed medication because I was not taking good care of myself. With Leah‘s training, I have tried to emulate her and completely change my eating and training habits,” Don Purvis notes with much love and admiration. “[Her] training has proven to me that age doesn’t have to dictate what our bodies are capable of doing.”
Leah Purvis completing a bar muscle up at the Bacon Beatdown in Daytona Beach, Florida, at last year’s event. – Submitted
Don and Leah have talked about working together in the future in a CrossFit competition, but his back injuries limit him from completing some of the common CrossFit movements. For fun, the couple has done partner workouts at Fit Crew and they enjoyed pushing each other and competing together. The pair have played flag football on the Island for years and put together a number of winning seasons. The competitive spirit is something they definitely have in common.
Much like her husband, Purvis’s trainer also has personally benefitted from the time he has spent working with her. Terman confesses, “ … it’s just great to be surrounded by someone like her who is so driven, organized and really such a great person. She has definitely made me better as a person, coach and businessman.”
The desire to be the best at anything she does is what has lead to Purvis’s success in CrossFit competitions. Her accolades include finishing in second place in the intermediate division at the Thunderdome in 2016 and a third place overall finish at the Bacon Beatdown in 2018. 2019 has taken it to another level for Purvis placing 67th in the world in the CrossFit Open for the 40- to 44-year-old division.
This year’s biggest accomplishment was qualifying for the Age Group Online Qualifier (AGOQ) where only the top 200 athletes in the world for the division are invited to participate.
What is next on the horizon for Purvis? Her short-term goal in CrossFit is to qualify for the annual Wadapalooza CrossFit Festival in Miami in 2020. This event started in 2012 as a one-day event with only 145 competitors and is now a four-day event with some of the biggest names in the sport in attendance.
Purvis’s advice for anyone interested in possibly competing at the highest level in CrossFit, “ … talk to me or anyone who they know is competing at a high level to really get a full understanding of what all is involved…it is beyond nutrition, sleep, training … ”
There is no doubt that Purvis’s drive, commitment and passion for the sport of CrossFit will result in more outstanding achievements in the future.
“Through the club sodas and limes while others enjoy adult beverages, the missed vacations, the early nights, the failed lifts, the bloodied hands, the missed cuts on qualifiers … it is so much bigger than I ever realized and for which I am so humbled and blessed,” Purvis states, speaking of the sacrifices and challenges involved in her passion and all of the support she has received during the last several years from her husband, trainer, and Fit Crew family.
To Purvis, these individuals have pushed her forward and had her back, with an understanding of what it takes for her to achieve her goals.
The most notable aspect of Purvis the athlete and the person is her genuine and caring personality. Despite being a very accomplished athlete, Purvis is encouraging and kindhearted to everyone who walks through the Fit Crew doors, making her all the more incredible.
Another school year has come and gone with no harmful incidents to students or staff at Anna Maria Elementary School (AME).
In this day and age, safety has become a worry for all schools in this country. As a result, the Manatee County School District has opted to place armed personnel at all county schools to patrol the grounds and provide a first line of safety just in case the unthinkable should happen.
Here on Anna Maria Island, the Holmes Beach Police Department has been way ahead of the curve for years, doing a stellar job of protecting the grade-schoolers with a school resource officer and educating them with the DARE (Drug Awareness Resistance and Education) program.
At the AME Awards Ceremony last Wednesday, Holmes Beach Police Officer and AME School Resource Officer Josh Fleischer and Police Chief Bill Tokajer handed out DARE completion certificates to fifth-graders, with former resource officer Brian Copeman also present.
Select students read essays they wrote about the DARE class and what they had learned about the hazards of drugs, alcohol and tobacco.
As the uniformed law enforcement officials stood in the auditorium, it was clear to all that they were there not just to provide protection but also to be a very human and intricate part of the program and these kids’ lives. At the close of the ceremony, parents and children gave the officers a loud and heartfelt round of applause.
It was just their way – the Island way – of saying thank you to those who keep the peace in paradise.
Did you know that every day 10,000 baby boomers turn 65? Just to refresh your aging memories, baby boomers are defined as those born between 1946 and 1964, therefore, baby boomers will be impacting our society for a lot longer. So, what do the smart real estate professionals do? They market smart houses and aging in place.
This is becoming such a hot topic that the continuing education course required of real estate licensees every two years contains two entire modules on smart homes and senior living. These are some of the more important points covered and tested in the most recent course.
A smart home is one that provides comfort, security, energy efficiency and convenience. These are all features that not only help seniors but also can improve property values especially for homeowners and prospective homeowners who are baby boomers.
When you’re talking cost to value in real estate, it’s always a balance between what it costs to make an improvement versus what the return will be. Well, based on a Coldwell Banker survey, 54 percent of homeowners said they would add smart home products if it made a house sell for more money. Sixty-five percent of those would pay $1,500 or more to add smart home features, and 40 percent would pay up to $3,000 or more.
In addition, Market Watch reports that the number of smart homes in North America is expected to hit 73 million by 2021 or more than 50 percent of all households. Unfortunately, real estate appraisers are just starting to give value to smart homes.
Smart homes are starting to have a very big impact on baby boomers who apparently prefer the phrase thriving in place as opposed to aging in place. Sixty-one percent of those over 55 are planning to stay in their homes indefinitely and 67 percent of those over 55 believe smart home technology could help them. Whether you’re thriving or aging, there are things that can help you live independently and safely.
Certainly, the most important smart features for seniors is health monitoring devices. There are many devices designed to monitor blood pressure and other vital signs that send alerts to a family member, physician or health care professional. There is a device to alert family members if a senior is not in his/her home or within a specific range and medicine containers that beep if the medicine is not taken. And one very practical device will automatically turn a stove off if it is left unattended for a predetermined length of time.
Next, are all of the convenience and security smart innovations – smart locks to avoid being locked out, smart home security monitors when not at home, smart sensors to track movements within the home and smart devices to let you and a family member know when a door or window is unlocked.
There is smart lighting that can be voice activated, smart thermostats and smart appliances which can create shopping lists and even give you the ability to look inside the refrigerator, monitor oven temperatures and activate your robotic vacuum cleaner.
Lest we forget the all-important remote shopping, ordering anything online, whether it’s clothes, books, your grandchild’s birthday present or food, has become second nature to people. Out of all progress made in smart homes, seniors having the ability to have things delivered is probably the biggest innovation and is growing daily.
If you’re a baby boomer or older, get smart. Don’t fight the technology, embrace it. It will only make your life easier and may also improve the value of your home. Remember – thrive, don’t age.
ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Non-toxic blue-green algae lingers in local waters and showed up in a new place this week – Warners Bayou in Bradenton – according to today’s report from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
Filamentous cyanobacteria (Lyngbya-like) was found in a Warners Bayou canal on Tuesday, May 28, according to today’s report.
The same type of blue-green algae was found on Monday, May 20 in Anna Maria Sound at Key Royale and in the Intracoastal Waterway south of Grassy Point, and in Palma Sola Bay near San Remo Shores. A different type of blue-green algae, Lyngbya majuscule, was found on Wednesday, May 8 in Sarasota Bay near Whitfield Avenue.
No toxins have been detected in any of the blue-green algae samples collected in Manatee County through May 31, according to DEP.
Report algae blooms to DEP at 855-305-3903.
Report fish kills to FWC at 800-636-0511.
The two algae species found in Manatee County waters are not the same species that has plagued Lake Okeechobee, microcystis aeruginosa, according to DEP.
Of the 22 sites tested statewide from May 23-30 by DEP, seven were positive for toxins.
Blue-green algae can be blue, green, brown or red and emit a foul, rotten egg odor caused by the production of hydrogen sulfide gas, according to DEP, which advises staying out of water where algae are visibly present as specks, mats or water is discolored pea-green, blue-green or brownish-red. Additionally, pets or livestock should not be allowed to come into contact with the algal bloom-impacted water, or the algal bloom material or fish on the shoreline.
Even non-toxic blooms can harm the environment by depleting oxygen levels in the water column and reducing the amount of light that reaches submerged plants, according to DEP.
The growth of blue-green algae typically increases in the spring and summer months when water temperatures and daylight hours increase.
Red tide report
No significant red tide is forecast in Manatee County waters through Monday, June 3, according to today’s Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) report.
Background concentrations of red tide were found in water samples off the Anna Maria Island Rod & Reel Pier in lower Tampa Bay and the Coquina Beach south boat ramp in Sarasota Bay on Tuesday, May 28, according to the report.
Background concentrations of the algae that causes Florida red tide, Karenia brevis, have no discernable effects on people or marine life, according to the FWC. In very low concentrations and above, red tide cells emit a neurotoxin when they bloom that can cause shellfish closures and respiratory irritation in people, especially those with asthma, COPD or emphysema. In low concentrations and above, red tide can be deadly to marine life.
No fish kills were reported this week.
Scientists say that salinity, currents, temperature and light play a part in the formation of red tide blooms, as do nutrients from Florida’s natural phosphate and limestone deposits, Caribbean seawater brought to Florida’s west coast on the Loop Current, the Mississippi River, Saharan dust blown across the Atlantic Ocean to Florida’s waters, and fertilizer and animal waste runoff.
To help keep algae growth at bay, Florida law bans the use of phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers during the rainy season, June 1 through Sept. 30.
BRADENTON – West Manatee Fire Rescue commissioners held a public hearing May 21 to discuss the 2019-20 residential and commercial assessment rates. No members of the public offered comment, and commissioners approved a modest increase in rates with a four to one vote.
After being presented with five options ranging from a zero percent increase to a 2.5 percent increase, commissioners voted to adopt a 1.65 percent increase for residential properties and a 5 percent increase for commercial properties.
For residential property owners, the 1.65 increase equals a $3.09 increase in the base rate, increasing from $187.48 to $190.57. The rate per square foot, assessed on home square footage over 1,000 square feet, is being raised from $0.1106 to $0.1124. For a 2,000 square foot home, the total assessment is being raised from $298.08 to $303, a difference of $1.92.
Residential homes make up the majority of the properties in WMFR’s district, which stretches from the Gulf of Mexico on the west, Tampa Bay to the north, Longboat Key to the south and city of Bradenton to the east. The district includes unincorporated Manatee County, Palma Sola, Cortez, Bradenton Beach, Anna Maria and Holmes Beach.
For commercial properties, the increase is slightly higher to bring WMFR’s commercial rates closer to those assessed by other Manatee County fire districts. The base rate is increasing from $451.07 to $473.62 for commercial properties, an increase of $22.55. The per square foot rate for buildings over 1,000 square feet is $0.2051, a $0.0098 increase for square footage over 1,000 square feet. The increase equals a $32.32 total increase for 2,000 square foot commercial properties.
With the increase in assessment rates, WMFR’s projected assessment revenue for the 2019-20 fiscal year is $7,285,989, a $144,203 increase over the current fiscal year.
Commissioner Al Robinson, who voted against the rate increase, said, “I think it’s insignificant in a $7.3 million dollar budget. We don’t need a raise.”
Commissioner George Harris said he was comfortable raising the commercial rates to get the district more in line with the surrounding districts but was happy to only give residents a minimal increase. “It’s nice to give the residents a little break,” he said.
With the rate increases, WMFR’s projected total revenue for the 2019-20 fiscal year is $7,618,556. The new fiscal year begins on October 1.
CORTEZ – Fire & Stone Pizza owners Radka Watson and Peter Ross are working to address the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) and Manatee County Code Enforcement violations that led to the popular eatery’s recent temporary closure.
On May 14, the restaurant was closed by order of DBPR. According to the DBPR inspection report, raw sewage was observed on the ground of the establishment in a 5-foot by 6-foot by 15-foot hole dug at the east side of the building.
“Per Manatee County Code Enforcement Officer Jorge Martelo, they required the operator to seal off all drains going out of the building, as the operator was pumping the sewage into a drainage ditch,” the DBPR report states.
The drainage ditch near the rear corner of the restaurant property connects to Sarasota Bay about 200 yards or so to the south.
The DBPR report says the situation has “caused a slick in Sarasota Bay,” but Ross disputes this claim.
Also listed in the report as a high priority violation is this: “Grease interceptor/trap removed, with grease and sewage overflowing onto the ground outside, to the east of the building. Rainwater has filled the area where the grease trap was located. Per owner, he is waiting on specifications from Manatee County before the grease trap can be replaced.”
The report also cites as violations dented cans of chickpeas, jalapeño slices and green olive slices, employees eating in a food preparation or other restricted areas, equipment in poor repair, floor tiles cracked, broken or in disrepair, an unused ice machine on premises near the walk-in cooler and sanitizing solution not at proper minimum strength.
Ross response
A recent visit to the Fire and Stone property revealed two large, white, plastic containers in the rear parking lot. Ross said he hopes to use these containers as temporary above-ground grease traps if the county will allow it. There are also several trenches dug along the east side of the building.
The Fire & Stone owners hope to use these storage tanks as temporary above-ground grease traps. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“We were working with Manatee County and the Manatee County Building Department to resolve a structural issue with our grease trap. During that repair process, unfortunately, our grease trap collapsed,” Ross said when contacted Friday by phone.
“No sewage whatsoever was disposed into Sarasota Bay two weeks ago when they showed up. Manatee County had a complaint that raw sewage was being dumped into Sarasota Bay and it was causing a slick. A certified letter arrived from the Manatee County Environmental Department and that letter said there was a light sheen, which would indicate maybe a slight bit of oil on top of the water in the first 50 feet from our property and we had 10 days to fix it,” Ross said.
“Manatee County would not leave until we blocked all pipes that exited our building. I already voluntarily shut the business down and the cleanup was already happening. Being the diligent person she was, the inspector was told this had to be done according to Manatee County Code Enforcement Department,” Ross said.
When asked when he hopes to be open again, Ross said, “As soon as the Manatee County Building Official can give us a special exemption to use a temporary system – which is already located onsite – until a final system and long-term resolution can be installed underground or above-ground, whatever needs to be done to satisfy the county’s requirements.”
BRADENTON – West Manatee Fire Rescue commissioners are considering building a new administration building, and they’ve narrowed down potential lots to purchase to two thanks to the help of consultant Bob Gause.
During a May 21 work session, Gause presented commissioners with a report on four available lots that removed two of them from the running – one next door to the district’s temporary offices at Palma Sola Presbyterian Church and another adjacent to King Middle School. Gause said the lot adjacent to the church property is partially used for stormwater retention and wouldn’t be of sufficient size to house an administration building and necessary parking. With the Manatee County School Board unwilling to part with the King Middle School adjacent lot, that choice also was eliminated.
The two options left to commissioners are the old dentist office on Third Avenue across from the church property and an undeveloped lot behind the Fountain Court Shopping Center where Bealls is located on Manatee Avenue.
Commissioners asked Chief Tom Sousa and Chief Ben Rigney to continue looking into the two lots and meet with the owners or their Realtors to see what price the district could get each location for. The undeveloped lot behind the shopping center has frontage on 63rd Street and is 1.88 acres, priced at $295,000. Because the site is undeveloped, Gause said it would require the installation of a lift station and directional boring to gain access to sewer utilities.
The old dentist office site is smaller at 0.65 acres and is priced at $525,000, including the existing office building which would need to be torn down to accommodate a new administration building. The bonus of acquiring this lot, Rigney said, is that it might be possible to share a generator with the nearby WMFR Station 1 on 67th Street.
No matter which lot commissioners choose, the building they’re considering is planned to be a hardened building that could potentially serve as a westside emergency operations center in the event of a hurricane. If commissioners choose to build a hardened building, it could also be created to withstand winds of up to 200 miles per hour.
WMFR’s other two fire stations, Stations 2 and 3, are both in flood plains and would have to be evacuated in the event of a hurricane, leaving Station 1, and potentially the administration building, as the only places to store both response teams and equipment during a storm event and in the aftermath if the other two stations were damaged or inaccessible.
District resident Derek Warner stepped up to offer commissioners his opinion as a former fire chief. Warner was a part of a team that responded to New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He and other first responders from around the country were the ones who orchestrated cleanups, rescues and investigations in a place that was foreign to them after the city’s first responders were scattered due to the storm.
“You have to think about who you want running your disaster – you or people like me who don’t know your situation or community,” he said.
Only a couple of stations and a few pieces of fire equipment in New Orleans survived the hurricane, he noted.
With first responders scattered and unable to respond to emergencies, Warner said the city had to rely on people who were just coming to New Orleans and didn’t have the knowledge that local emergency workers had.
“You want to be in on this,” Warner advised. “You want to be the decisionmakers.”
He encouraged commissioners to not only consider building a hardened structure but one large enough that it could accommodate fire crews, EMS crews, local law enforcement and provide additional areas to store supplies and equipment.
WMFR commissioners are currently considering building a structure around 5,000 square feet or less with the possibility of an additional warehouse-type structure to house additional fire equipment if necessary.
The administration building discussion will continue on June 18 at the next WMFR commission meeting.
The mountains of northeast Georgia hold a special appeal for fly fishers and are one of my favorite destinations.
The countryside along the Sautee Valley was a verdant green and veils of mist floated over the rolling foothills as I made my way to Batesville and a rendezvous with my guide, Phil Culver. The early morning air was fragrant with the smell of honeysuckle, privet and wild roses and was, I hoped, an auspicious start to a day of fishing the Soque (pronounced so-qwee) River.
Today Culver was introducing me to a special stretch of the Soque run by Dragonfly, one of the top stretches of the river that regularly yields jaw-dropping double-digit rainbow and brown trout. Dragonfly’s section of the river is one of the South’s best trout fishing destinations, attracting neophyte anglers as well as seasoned fly fishers and past presidents.
We arrived at the river at 8 a.m., donned waders and rigged 5-weight rods for the day’s fishing. After crossing the river on a wooden bridge, we worked our way along a sinuous shoreline that was lined with blooming mountain laurel. After hiking about a quarter of a mile, we entered the river just downstream from a deep seam that undercut a bank and was in deep shade.
Culver carefully fished two small nymphs along the edge of the bank, then drifted them along and under the branch-covered bend. On his third cast he made a quick hook set when his indicator disappeared from the water’s surface and a deep bend in his rod telegraphed that he had a quality fish on.
The rainbow trout revealed its beautiful namesake colors in a jump before making several stubborn attempts to rub the fly free on the bottom. After a number of dogged attempts to lose the fly and two more jumps, we were able to net the trout, take a few quick pictures and release it.
The weather was clear and warm with a bluebird sky and, although the fishing was tough, we were both able to land and release a number of quality fish before we took a break and went to the Batesville Country Store for lunch. One of the pleasures of fishing the Soque is having breakfast before fishing and taking a lunch break at the store. Besides having excellent food, the ambiance fits perfectly with a day on the river.
The afternoon warmed into the 80s, but the temperature along the river was moderated by the shade and the cold flowing water. On days when the fish are not in the mood to bite, having a guide like Culver pays dividends. His 15 years’ experience on the river and a lot of fly changes yielded a number of fish for both of us. When we worked a particular section that he knew held a lot of fish, it would have been easy to doubt him had I not been able to see them with my own eyes. At the end of the day, it was, in a way, even more satisfying to have coaxed a number of fish to the fly when they were not in the mood to feed.
We had been near the end of the season when rising water temperatures prompt owners to begin limiting fishing in order to prevent stressing the big fish. I already have plans to return in October, when cooling waters turn on the trout’s feeding instincts. To experience the fantastic fishing on the Soque contact Phil Culver at 706-768-8922. Check out Dragonfly’s website or call Dave Sutton at 706-768-8800.
It pains me to say this, and I hope it’s not true, but there are signs that the face of home ownership is starting to change. Housing was always the driver of the economy, both purchasing homes and the purchases that were associated with homeownership, but home ownership may be taking a time out.
More than 10 years after the financial crisis hit the housing market, it has not recovered on a national level to the same degree as the economy in general. According to the Census Bureau, last year there were a combined 5.4 million new and existing homes sold. This is about the same as in 1998, where we had 50 million fewer people living in the country. I don’t know why we’re surprised to learn that we still have a hangover from the financial crisis since housing was the primary reason for the financial crisis and the careless lending practices of government-backed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Now there is another little wrinkle in why the housing market has not picked up – millennials.
Millennials, those born from 1981 to 1995, were supposed to be the hope of the housing market when they reached the age when people usually purchase homes, only it’s not happening. The homeownership rate among households headed by someone under 35 was 35.4 percent as of the first quarter of this year. The Census Bureau goes on to say that, by comparison in 1999, the homeownership rate for this age group was about 40 percent.
The speculation is that the financial crisis hit this generation hard. The unemployment rate was high and it took millennials longer to get a foothold in the workforce, build careers and deal with college debt, leaving purchasing a home at the bottom of their list.
In addition, there has been a renewed preference for city living, which is where the higher paying jobs are and lower homeownership rates. And finally, this generation witnessed something that no one thought would ever happen – owning a home did not guarantee a good investment, complicated with a loss of incentive based on the 2017 tax cuts.
After all that good news, let’s see what’s happened in April in Manatee County based on the reporting of the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee:
Sale of single-family properties did well in April compared to last April. The number of closed sales were up 3.9 percent. The median sale price was up 1.6 percent to $315,000, however, the average sale price was down 3.5 percent to $390,612. The median time to contract was 48 days and the median time to the sale of the property or closing was 92 days. The month’s supply of available properties was 4 months down 7 percent.
As far as condos, Manatee County closed 0.7 percent fewer this April compared to last year. The median sale price was also down 4.1 percent to $196,500 and the average sale price was down 7.8 percent to $236,127. The median time to contract was 43 days and the median time to the sale of the property or closing was 88 days. The month’s supply of properties was 4.7 months, down 4.1 percent.
Overall, the single-family properties are holding well over $300,000, an important a benchmark, and although condo sales are down in value, they’re not down substantially in numbers closed. The really interesting numbers are the amount of available properties going down for both single-family and condos. Four months of availability is low. It’s good news for sellers, not so good for buyers and not really good for a vibrant market.
Are we entering a new era? If we are, new isn’t always bad, it may just a realignment of our priorities and expectations. Real estate markets are dynamic and that’s a good thing. Maybe we were standing still for too long.
Last week saw another youth soccer season come to a close with the naming of league champions and MVPs. CABB Cleaning defeated Lancaster Design in the 11- to 15-year-old league after the regulation play ended in a 0-0 tie, taking the championship match to a shootout.
Lancaster Design’s two shootout goals by Kieran Cloutier and Aiden Templeton were not enough against CABB Cleaning’s shooters. Net shots by JM Feeny, Connor Samblis, and Sam Liester lead to the game-winning shot by Travis Bates.
11- to 15-year-old youth soccer champions CABB Cleaning celebrate in the deep corner at The Center. – Monica Simpson | Sun
In another nail biter in the eight- to 10-year-old league, Beach House Real Estate’s Dennis Gallagher scored two goals against Cale Rudacille to win the championship. Freckled Fin’s Duncan Cloutier hit the net with a goal of his own in the big game.
To end the season, 10 individual players were recognized for their accomplishments on the pitch. In the eight- to 10-year-old league, Dennis Gallagher and Taylor June King were named the MVPs. Defensive MVP was given to William Pakbaz, with Jack McCarthy earning the all-important Sportsmanship award.
Goalie of the Year honors went to Cale Rudacille. Rudacille follows in the footsteps of his father and uncle, Scott and Mark Rudacille, who play the keeper position in the adult league.
The 11- to 15-year-old league top players were JM Feeny and Angelina Albrecht as MVPs and Aiden Templeton the Defensive MVP. Kieran Cloutier, an outstanding player in his own right, won the Sportsmanship Award. Michael Coleman took home the Goalie of the Year Award, giving Lancaster Design three of the five top credits.
